Letter to Letter
by Unparalleled Aspect
Summary: "Don't you dare forget about us and the fun times we had!" "Of course! Bye Natsu!" A car crash destroys a promise made by childhood friends. Eight years later, Natsu meets the girl he thought he'd never see again. However, she doesn't remember him...? With one goal in mind, Natsu attempts to make Lucy remember him, through writing and being with her all the way.
1. Too Soon

_Hey Lucy. . ._

* * *

"Don't forget to write letters!"

"Call me!"

"Visit us anytime you want!" A group of children crowded around their friend. She was moving due to her father's work.

"I will! Bye guys," the girl waved goodbye as the car drove farther and farther away.

"Hey Lucy!" A boy roared. "Don't you dare forget about us and the fun times we had!"

"Of course! Bye Natsu!" They continued to wave to each other until they could no longer see the car. Natsu lowered his arm.

"Don't worry, Natsu. Lucy always keeps her promises. She won't forget us." Levy comforted him as he started tearing up. Everyone started to sniffle.

"I know." One by one, the kids began to sob. "I know and yet. . .!"

 _I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest._

"I miss her already," he said instead.

* * *

 _You left me to soon. . ._

* * *

Natsu was playing with his friends when they got the bad news.

Four years after Lucy had moved, other people began moving in. The Heartfilias had owned a lot of property prior to moving. When they moved, it allowed more people to move into the homes that previously housed a family of three and some servants.

The new neighbors would always hear of the previous landowners. From the good deeds and kind family to the large company and amount of servants, there was no doubt they were influential in the village.

Levy ran up to him as he played football with the others. "What's up, Levy? It's rare for you to be running, even if it's about a book."

"Where are the others? This is important."

"How?"

"It's about Lucy." That immediately made Natsu excited. _Lucy!_ He quickly called the others.

"Hurry Levy, tell us. What about Lucy?" Gray panted as he sprinted towards them. "Is she visiting?"

"No, it's not that," Levy's voice trembled. "She was in a car accident."

"Then is she. . .?" Erza trailed off.

"She's alive," a collective sigh of relief, "but her mom didn't make it." Silence hung in the air. "Her dad called Makarov. She's in stable condition, but her injuries aren't what I'm talking about.

"She's lost oher memories of us, of here. She almost forgot who she is. He said to stop expecting letters and phone calls." Everyone knew what Levy was going to say. They wanted to stop her. "She won't be coming back."

Natsu looked at the ground. A pang in his heart, he willed himself not to cry. "Maybe if she comes here, she'll remember."

"That's true, but by the way it sounded, her dad is too scared to bring her to the village." Levy shook her head. They all knew how protective Jude Heartfilia was.

"So she won't ever remember us?"

"I don't think so, no."

That sentence alone killed his dreams of happily reuniting with his best friend. _How did it end like this, Lucy?_ _Why did you leave me already?_


	2. We Meet Again

_Yet by a miracle, I met you again. . ._

* * *

"You have reached Magnolia." The conductor announced. The doors opened and people began filing out of the train. Natsu stumbled off. Finally!

Magnolia was a busy and prosperous city, it was rather far from the village he had lived in for the majority of his life. Thinking of the sounds and sights as well as the scents of the things he'd experience, he jumped up and started running to the nearest restaurant. A hand tugged him back. Turning around, he saw Erza's stern face.

"We're didn't come here for sightseeing." Gray groggily walked up to them.

"School," he yawned. "C'mon. We told Levy we'd meet with her at the entrance." Natsu groaned.

"How is Levy a grade higher than us?"

"She skipped a grade, remember?" Gray replied as Erza led them to their meeting point.

"Hey~ Over here!" Their friend waved and ran up to them. "I'll give you a basic tour and then you can talk to your counselor. Okay?" They agreed and set off. It didn't take even five minutes for Natsu to realize he had strayed from the group and got lost.

 _Where am I?_ He looked around furtively for clues to no avail. _Shoot._

"Excuse me, are you lost?" A gentle voice asked from behind him. A beautiful blonde smiled at him.

"Uh, yeah. . ." She reminded him of- _no, stop thinking of her._ He shook the thought out of his head. "Um, it might be a bit too much to ask, but can you bring me to the counselor's office?"

"Of course. So you're a freshman?" She asked as she beckoned him to follow her.

"Yeah. Are you one too?" He replied as they entered a large building.

"Nope, I managed to skip a grade when I was sixteen."

"Oh? That's cool." Natsu said genuinely.

"Yep. It was actually surprising," she laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"I was in an accident. After being discharged from the hospital, my father told me that I was behind and had bumped me up a grade. It's rare for someone to skip grades at that age."

"What type of accident?" Her story closely matched Lucy's. If it was the same, then that would mean-

"Car accident." It was the same after all! Then, one more question wouldn't hurt.

"Can you remember anything prior to the accident?" Her smile faltered slightly.

"No. But then again, amnesia after accidents like those are common. There's a chance I'll remember in the future." _True._ Natsu thought.

"Do you want to remember?"

"I do. Father gets upset every time I bring the subject up, so I usually drop the subject. He told me it's painful to think of the past." She stopped and pointed at the door in front of them. "We're here."

"Thanks. One last question."

"Go ahead."

"What's your name?"

""Lucy Heartfilia." She waved goodbye. "Let's hope we can see each other on campus." She smiled again. "Okay?" Lucy then rounded the corner and disappeared. Natsu continued to stare at the corner she rounded.

"I found her," he whispered. A tear slid down his cheek.


	3. Letter to Letter

_You forgot who I was, but I was determined to make you remember. . ._

* * *

"You all want to write letters with me and vice versa?" She looked at them in confusion. "Why?"

"We want to help you remember your past." Gray explained.

"We don't need anything except to be your friends." Levy continued.

"I still don't get-"

"We knew you before you lost your memories." She visibly froze for a moment.

"I refuse, now leave me alone."

"Lucy, please!" Natsu pleaded. Her angry expression softened.

"Then tell me about my past. If it was truly something important to me, then I should be able to recall it."

"You lived in a small village far from Magnolia, when you were twelve, you moved. Four years later, you got in a car accident and your dad told Gramps that you forgot everything before the accident." Gray rambled.

"We would always play sports with the boys. When it was just us girls, we'd talk about books and the boys' stupidity." Erza listed off.

"Hey!" The boys yelled. Lucy looked indifferent.

"Sorry, but I don't-"

"Lucy, you promised you would never forget us. You never break promises." Levy said desperately.

"I don't remember, okay? For all I know, you could be making things up." Lucy turned and stomped away angrily. Levy and the others stood there shocked.

"I- I didn't mean to-"

"We know." Natsu began running after the blonde. "I'll try to make her reconsider."

"He found her staring at the quad's fountain, looking at her reflection. "Lucy?" He hesitantly walked towards her. "Are you okay?"

"It's true, isn't it? Everything they said. About what we did together, when I left and the fact that my father told this _Gramps_ that I didn't remember any of it." She hugged herself. Natsu nodded and embraced her from behind.

"I want to believe them, but even when they said all of that, I couldn't remember anything. I felt something, and yet," she sighed, "I'm so confused." Natsu started to speak slowly.

"It's true. We want to tell you about your past, but we don't have any classes together and we hang out with different people in our free time. That's why we wanted to write letters to you."

"Will you really try to help me?"

"Promise."

"Will you keep it?" Natsu unwrapped his arms, turning Lucy around so they were face to face.

"Yup! Because I learned from a certain somebody to always keep my promises," he grinned and poked her forehead.

* * *

 _We began to write letters to each other. . ._

* * *

Natsu groaned as he finished reading Lucy's letter. While she had agreed to writing letters to them, she was always acting professional and distant. The others had voiced the same problem to him as well. _Looks like I'll have to tell her to stop acting like this face to face if letters don't work._

He doubted meeting at her home would do any good, but they almost never saw each other at school. Whenever they did see each other, there was a simple _hello_ before rushing off to the next class.

"Gah, I give up!" He shouted after trying to think of a way to meet Lucy in person outside of school. _Maybe a walk will help._ His destination the nearby coffee shop across the street, he opened the door and was immediately greeted with the scent of roasted coffee beans and warmth.

 _Now I'll never want to leave._ He mentally groaned as he sat down with his order. He began to doze off as soon as he took a sip of his coffee. _Don't wanna leave, so warm, smells good, gotta think of a way to talk to Lucy, so comfy,_ his thoughts trailed off sluggishly. Wait, he had to find a way to speak to Lucy! Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder and Natsu turned around.

"Hey. Do you mind if I sit with you? There's no table available." Speak of the devil! Latte in one hand, a small box in the other, Lucy sat down once she got approval.

"What's in the box?" He eyed it curiously.

"Oh, this?" A guy gave it to me when he confessed." Natsu felt a pang in his heart. Of course he would. Who wouldn't? "It's cake."

"Did you. . .?" She sighed.

"No, but he told me to keep the cake." She pulled out two forks. "Want to help me finish it?"

"Sure." Natsu took the fork from her and sighed in relief. She hadn't accepted. They could still fulfill the promise. But now that she was here, he could stop pondering on how to find the time to discuss with her. "Hey, Lucy."

"Yeah?"

"Can you stop acting so distant in your letters? We're trying to help you." She frowned.

"I still don't get why I have to send _letters_. Why not just text or email?"

"We thought that if we sent letters to each other back and forth, you'd remember something. That was how we communicated after you moved." _And before the accident._

"I see. Then I guess I can try."

"Thanks, Luce!"

"Keyword _try_. And _Luce_?"

"Yeah, that was your nickname. Levy called you Lu." He leaned in. "Remember?"

"I feel something, but I can't remember. Nothing's coming back to me." She looked down remorsefully.

"Cheer up! The fact that you feel something is a sign that you can remember.."

"Thanks." She gave him a small smile. Natsu wordlessly bent closer to her.

"What-" She blushed and tried to move back. Heart racing, she watched nervously as Natsu came closer. "Natsu, what are you-?" He returned to his space quickly.

"There." He grinned.

"What do you mean?"

"You had some cream on your face," he indicated. Blushing furiously, she angrily replied.

"So you licked it off my face?"

"Yeah, so?" He replied as if it was completely normal.

"D-don't you know anything about personal space?!" Natsu continued to laugh as Lucy scolded him. Truth be told, she wasn't really angry. The memory of his face so close to hers wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Shaking the thought out of her head, she looked at him with a somewhat mortified expression. He was such an oblivious person. Yet Lucy couldn't help but feel that this wasn't the first time he had done such a thing.


	4. Promise

_You know, when we were little, you promised me something. . ._

* * *

 **Tell me about the promise. You mentioned in the last letter that we made one together. Levy told me I promised to never forget you guys. Is it that one? I apologized to her and the others, but I don't believe I've done so with you. Then, I'm sorry.**

 **I always keep my promises. Breaking them hurts me, but I know it must've been tougher for you. I'm sorry I'm not able to remember a single thing, even with your help.**

Natsu leaned back and smiled. Just knowing that she was trying to remember was good enough for him. Picking up his pen, he began writing. He wanted to tell her what it was, but he knew she'd be embarrassed if he told her now. They'll have to wait. Natsu didn't mind, he had already waited for eight years. Another eight wouldn't hurt, especially since he knew she was alive and well.

It was a silly childhood promise anyway.

* * *

 _It's not about remembering our friends. . ._

* * *

"I don't like the ending of the book." Natsu gave Lucy the fairy tale book she had lent him. Lucy took it back confused.

"Why not?" The knight managed to rescue the princess and they married, living happily ever after."

"The dragon dies."

"The dragon dies so the knight and princess could marry."

"Did it have to?" Lucy thought about it for a moment.

"I guess if the knight had been sneakier and less impulsive, the dragon wouldn't have needed to die." She looked at him thoughtfully. "You remind me of the dragon."

"Huh? So you want me dead? You think I'm a villain?" He growled.

"No no no no. That's not what I meant. The dragon may have died in the book, but I don't want you dead. What I meant was you're both impulsive and strong. The dragon was guarding the tower right? In a sense that meant he was protecting the princess. You always make sure no one gets hurt when we're playing.

I think," she continued quietly, "that the dragon just wanted to keep the princess away from danger."

Natsu looked at the book in her hands. "If I'm the dragon, then you're the princess."

"Huh?" She looked at him in surprise.

"Hey Luce, can we change the ending of the book?"

"Why?"

"Let's get married in the future. But to do that, we have to make sure the dragon is alive."

"M-married? But you have to love someone to marry them."

"I love you." He answered honestly. "I really, really love you."

"Geez, Natsu. Stop joking." She laughed. "Alright, I'll marry you in the future."

"Promise?"

"Yeah." They pinky swore and went inside to change the ending of the fairy tale.

* * *

 _No, it was something else. . ._

* * *

The knight fled in terror as the dragon clawed at him. Threat gone, it decided to rest. However, the human had inflicted a critical blow on the mighty beast before running away.

Blood oozing from its wound, the dragon tried his best to stay awake. It heard a yell of shock and through its blurring vision, saw the princess run up to it, begging for it to stay awake.

The dragon knew it was too late. It wanted to tell the young girl that everything would be fine, to stop crying, but it couldn't. For it was a dragon and she was a human, they spoke different tongues. With its last breath, the mythical being snorted a goodbye and closed its eyes.

The princess watched as the dragon stilled. She shook its body, called its name, but nothing worked. She knew it was gone. Crawling to the snout, she sobbed as she embraced the corpse.

The tears that slide down her cheeks glowed as it hit the dragon's snout. Too upset to notice, the human continued to grieve until there was a blinding light. The wind picked up, throwing her back. She covered her eyes. When the light subsided, there stood a boy at the place of her guardian.

He opened his eyes sluggishly. Just as slowly, he called out. "Prin. . .cess?"

The boy was clothed in nothing but rags, and on his back sprouted a pair of wings. A tail swished back and forth and long horns protruded from his head. It was the same as the dragon that had perished moments ago.

Lunging at the boy, the princess cried tears of joy, embracing the newly reborn human tightly, as if he would disappear the moment she let go. The boy returned her embrace.

"Don't ever leave me again." The princess' voice trembled.

"I won't."

"I love you." She was obviously embarrassed. burying herself deeper into his chest.

"I love you too." He kissed her forehead. "Marry me?"

"Of course."

Wedding bells rang throughout the kingdom. The groom had a special suit for his inhuman body parts. The bride was in an elegant dress that billowed with ever step she took. A veil covered her face. Vows were exchanged, and the guests cheered.

Grinning, the groom lifted the veil, revealing his wife's face and they kissed. Once they stepped outside, the hybrid picked the princess up and flew into the sky. She squealed in surprise and delight.

"It's beautiful up here!" She looked up into her husband's eyes. "You got to see this everyday?" He nodded.

"I wanted to bring you up here for a long time but. . ." He trailed off.

"You won't leave me, right?" The princess asked again.

"I would never."

"You won't forget me?"

"That will never happen." He bumped heads. She giggled.

"Good, because I would never forget you." She snuggled closer. "Even if I did, I'll definitely find a way to remember."

"Oh? Promise?"

"Absolutely! When have I ever broken a promise?" She grinned. He returned it with a small smile as they flew in a comfortable silence. _You never have._


	5. Remember Everything

_I came up with an idea. . ._

* * *

"You wanna come visit our village during break?" Natsu asked Lucy one day. They were hanging out in the same coffee shop they had visited last time.

"Sure, is it to help jog my memory?" Lucy took a sip of her latte. She set the coup down and started typing on the laptop she had brought with her.

"That and I want the others to meet you again. I told them you attend the same school as me and now they want to see you," he casually whipped out his phone and began texting someone. Lucy looked up curiously.

"Who are you texting?"

"Cana."

"Cana?"

"Yeah, Cana Alberona. You were her partner once in the village's annual sports game." He continued to text said person as he explained. "She actually started drinking at a young age. She's still a great person!" He reassured Lucy. "Always drunk but knows what she's doing. You know, her dad's surprisingly-"

"Gildarts Clive?" Lucy finished weakly.

"How did you know? Only people in the village know." Natsu looked up to see Lucy clutching her head in pain. "Lucy!"

"I-I'm fine." She managed, placing her hand back to her laptop. She still seemed somewhat dizzy, but when she smiled, Natsu's worry flew out the window. "I managed to remember something."

"Yeah," he smiled back. "Wonder why though. Why not other important stuff. Why Cana?"

"Grimoire Heart interrupted the games that time, remember? We had to play against Kain." Natsu's face lit up.

"So you remember that too! What else? Do you remember anything else?"

"We surprisingly managed to beat Hades. Us, Erza, Gray and Wendy."

"Wendy! You remember Wendy!" He threw his hands up in the air.

"Yeah," she giggled.

"So you'll definitely come during break?"

"Of course."

"Make sure your dad's okay with it. He's super protective, last time I checked."

"He is, isn't he?" She laughed.

* * *

 _When I brought you to the village, I hoped it would bring back memories. . ._

* * *

"Tada!" Natsu removed the blindfold from Lucy's eyes. Instead of looking at the village, she huffed and turned to her friends.

"Was it really necessary to blindfold me throughout the train ride too?"

"It was Natsu's idea." Gray shrugged.

"Hey! You thought blindfolding her was a good idea too!"

"I didn't mean the train ride though, only the walk." He remarked, "idiot."

"What was that?"

"You deaf? Want me to repeat what I said?"

"I dare you."

"I said, i-di-ot."

"What!" They started brawling. Lucy and Levy sighed as Erza stepped in.

"Alright, stop fighting." She joined in when they ignored her.

"W-well, look here! This is the entrance." Levy gave Lucy a tour around her former hometown. Each place gave her tiny flashbacks from the past. Her strongest reaction was when Levy led her to her old mansion. A flurry of emotions clutched her heart. Her head throbbed and she began to cry.

By then, Natsu and the others had caught up. Natsu patted Lucy's back in comfort. She slowly sniffled. "I remember everything. I can tell."

"Are you sure."

"Yeah, I am."

"Let's introduce you to our friends." Erza smiled and guided them.

"Aren't you glad to have remembered everything?" Levy chirped.

"I'm glad," tears began to form again. "I'm really really glad."

Gray patted her head.

"We're glad too."

* * *

 _It did and we threw a party to celebrate. . ._

* * *

"Cheers!" Everyone laughed. Lucy was currently recovering from being squished between giant huggers. Natsu had literally picked her up from the men after three seconds of hugging. They had chuckled. He was being quite jealous of them. Girls on the other hand, could hug for ten seconds before he broke it up.

"Hey, that's unfair," Macao laughed as he drank with Wakaba. "I want to hug her some more."

"No way, you old geezer." Natsu childishly stuck his tongue out.

"Then at least let her talk with the others in peace. Standing next to her like a guard dog is giving others a scare."

"Fine," he walked over to them with Gray. "I'm not drinking though."

"Suit yourself." Wakaba ordered another serving. "Something bothering you? You keep looking back at Lucy."

"Bet he wants to confess." Gray snickered, expecting his best friend to counter angrily. To his surprise, Natsu just blushed. "No way, Natsu. You-"

"Quiet, you," Natsu covered his mouth.

"When are you gonna confess?" Macao prodded. Natsu glanced at Lucy as she laughed at Cana's exaggerated stories.

"Somewhere and sometime you won't be spying." He fidgeted. _Aw, he's nervous,_ Gray thought.

"C'mon, we'd never-"

"No."

"Please?"

" _No_."

"Well, guess we have no choice," Gray sighed dramatically. The grown men seemed to know what Gray was thinking. They cupped their hands around their mouths.

"Lucy! Natsu want to-" Said teen quickly beat them up.

"Shut up! Lucy, come with me."

"Eh?" Lucy said dumbfounded as Natsu dragged her out of the building.

As he turned back, he saw Gray mouth _you're welcome_ with a smirk. He rolled his eyes. Gray began cackling.

 _Thanks, though_. He thought with a smile as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

 _I'm glad I got to see you again. I'm glad you remembered everything. . ._

* * *

"Do you remember playing here with me? Around your mom's favorite tree?"

"Yeah, it was fun." Lucy giggled.

"Do you remember the promise we made under it?"

"How could I not?"

"Well, I was thinking of doing something about it." Her face fell. "It's not that I won't marry you! I'd love to right now, but, well. . ."

"It's because we're still in college, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he scratched his head. "So I was thinking that for the time being. . . Will you be my girlfriend?"

"I suppose I can be your girlfriend, but-"

"Is it because you don't love me? Is it because I'm annoying? Don't worry, I can-"

"How should I tell my father?" Natsu paled.

"Your dad, huh? Um," he began sweating, "is he going to kill me if I tell him?" He conjured a helmet out of nowhere. "I'll get ready!"

"He won't kill you," she giggled. "I won't let him."

"Thank God." He dropped all the weapons he managed to scrounge in record time.

"Seriously, sometimes I wonder how I came to like you." She shook her head.

"I do that too! You're so weird sometimes, after all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucy huffed. She laughed soon after at the faces Natsu made.

"Weirdos together!"

"Weirdos forever!"


	6. Together Forever

_Hey, I got your dad's permission. . . so. . . will you marry me?_

* * *

"What if she changes her mind? What if she likes another man?" Natsu began to panic with each new scenario he thought up.

"Calm down. She's not late, and she definitely isn't seeing another man. If she didn't love you, she'd have broken up with you a long time ago." Gray reassured him confidently. The groom took a deep breath.

"Thanks, I really needed that."

"It's your wedding after all." Just as they settled down, the door opened. Everyone managed to get in place as the bride entered, her father beside her. Jude Heartfilia let his daughter go.

 _Take care of her._ Those were his words when Natsu asked for her hand in marriage.

 _I won't fail your expectations._ Natsu vowed. Jude smiled when he saw the conviction in his soon to be son-in-law's eyes.

As formal as they tried to make the wedding, most of the guests had just graduated college and had some fun chanting _kiss kiss kiss_ after the couple spoke their vows. Natsu and Lucy decided to do just that, with Lucy's veil covering their faces completely. The guests groaned in disappointment.

Natsu quickly whisked Lucy off her feet. "Let's hide, yeah?"

"Let's." As Natsu ran, Lucy's veil flew off her head. "Ah." It fell in Levy's hands, who, despite her small stature, managed to catch up to them. The blunette winked as she slowed to a stop.

They managed to hide and with no one looking, and with no veil covering their faces, they shared a tender kiss.

* * *

 _I love you and. . ._

* * *

"Hey Luce, what are you reading?" Natsu asked as they prepared to go out for dinner to celebrate their two year anniversary.

"Oh, it's nothing." She dismissed. This made Natsu curious. He snuck behind her and peered over her shoulder. After realizing what it was, he blushed.

"Don't read that." He tried to snatch the letter from her to no avail.

"But it's so adorable! You wrote a letter to me confessing your feelings after all." Lucy cleared her throat. "Hey Lucy. . ."

"Stop right there!" This time, he managed to grab the letter from his wife. "C'mon, we have reservations, so we can't be late."

"Alright, alright." Natsu returned the letter. Lucy set it down on the table, but to spare Natsu of his embarrassment, she partially covered it with the envelope.

"Why won't you put it in the envelope?"

"So I can read it once we come back, of course."

"Just don't read it in front of me. Don't read it to me, too."

"Boo, where's the fun in that?" Lucy pouted.

"Lucy!"

"Just kidding." She smirked. Her husband just sighed.

"Let's go."

"Oka-y!" Natsu smiled and left the room. Lucy looked back at the letter one more time, specifically the section she didn't cover. She gave a small chuckle and followed him.

 _I promise we will never be separated ever again._


End file.
